372 Missionaries in 71 Countries: How Global Outreach Grew Retention Doing Things That Don't Scale

<p><b>Building Bridges and Moving Hearts with Josh Yerkes: Stories, Funding, and Mission Impact</b></p><p></p><p>In this conversation, Josh Yerkes Vice President of Development at Global Outreach International—shares how storytelling, unscalable donor engagement, and documentary filmmaking fuel the organization's mission to send missionaries worldwide. Discover the power of personal touches in fundraising, the challenges of donor retention, and innovative ways to inspire support for global missions.</p><p></p><p><b>Key Topics:</b></p><ul><li>The role of faith-based organizations in international missions</li><li>The importance of storytelling in donor engagement and fundraising</li><li>Unscalable yet impactful donor stewardship tactics</li><li>How documentary films can energize mission-focused giving</li><li>Lessons learned from fundraising failures and setbacks</li><li>Strategies for building long-term donor loyalty</li><li>The significance of personal, experiential touches in supporter relationships</li><li>Effective use of social media and video content to tell compelling stories</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Timestamps:</b></p><p>00:00 - Introduction to Josh Yerkes and Global Outreach International</p><p>00:39 - What Global Outreach does annually—mission, support, training</p><p>01:10 - Josh’s background as a missionary kid and career transition into nonprofit leadership</p><p>03:15 - The path from YMCA leadership to global missions and fundraising</p><p>06:44 - The storytelling approach and its impact on fundraising success</p><p>07:14 - The influence of personal stories and experiences in donor relationships</p><p>09:12 - Using sensory memories like chlorine smell to craft compelling stories</p><p>10:20 - How Global Outreach funds its mission: impact, partnership, and broad-spectrum investing</p><p>13:24 - Strategies for increasing revenue and donor retention</p><p>14:23 - The importance of personalized thank-yous and stewardship</p><p>16:33 - The power of experiential gifts and unscalable acts of generosity</p><p>18:53 - The value of personal gestures in donor loyalty and supporter engagement</p><p>20:45 - Overcoming scarcity mindset in fundraising and supporting loyal supporters</p><p>22:36 - The importance of focusing on supporter loyalty over immediate metrics</p><p>23:14 - Lessons from fundraising failures and experimenting in the space</p><p>26:46 - A personal story of a failed year-end campaign and lessons learned</p><p>27:24 - Announcing the upcoming documentary project "Beyond River's Edge"</p><p>29:18 - How storytelling through film can galvanize support for missions</p><p>31:09 - Practical ways to connect with Josh and collaborate in global missions</p><p></p><p><b>Resources &amp; Links:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thekiposgroup.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Kipos Group Website</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thekiposgroup.com/schedule-your-call-with-james/" target="_blank"><b>Schedule a Discovery Call with James</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmisner/" target="_blank"><b>Connect with James Misner on Linkedin</b></a></li></ul><p></p><p><b>Connect with Josh:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://globaloutreach.org/" target="_blank"><b>Global Outrech International Official Website</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-yerkes/" target="_blank"><b>Connect with Josh Yerkes on Linkedin</b></a></li></ul>